Feds Prepare PHR Model

Joseph Goedert
Health Data Management Magazine, July 1, 2009

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is developing a model, or template, to enable personal health records vendors to better inform consumers about privacy, security and information management policies. "Given the newness of the electronic PHR concept, the different ways to establish PHRs, and the sensitivity of personal health information, ONC is taking steps to establish that useful facts about PHRs and PHR privacy policy information be made available to consumers so they can make informed decisions about selecting and using PHRs," according to a notice published May 22 in the Federal Register. "The model will be developed to allow presentation of important PHR facts and policies to consumers, allow consumers to understand and consistently compare PHR service provider policies with others, and focus on the key information that may influence decisions and choices of PHR service provider." The notice outlines steps that ONC will take between now and October to establish the model. The notice is available at gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. (c) 2009 Health Data Management and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.healthdatamanagment.com/ http://www.sourcemedia.com/

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:

• Consumer Health
• Electronic Health Records
• Health Information Exchange
• Policies/Regulation
• Hospitals
• Group Practices
• Payers